Black Eyes October 2026 Newsletter
Hello all,
Friday 9th October is Leif Erikson Day.
Leif Erikson (c. 970 – c. 1020 CE) was a Norse explorer who led the first known European expedition to set foot in continental North America (around 1000 AD, five centuries before Columbus).
He and his crew reached a region they called Vinland, which is now widely believed to be L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada.
The exact dates are not known. 9th October was chosen as it commemorates the arrival of the ship Restauration in New York Harbour in 1825, which carried the first organised group of Norwegian immigrants to the United States.
Leif Erikson (Old Norse: Leifr Eiríksson) was the son of Erik the Red
THE DOBUNNI POETRY FESTIVAL 2026
15th ~ 17th October 2026
The Dobunni Poetry Festival 2026 is Stroud’s first dedicated poetry festival, creating a cultural home for writers, readers, and audiences of all ages. Featuring internationally acclaimed artists and local talent, this grassroots festival celebrates poets and publishers in the West/South West of England.
Stroud is a town rich in creativity, a place known for its independent spirit, its artistic communities across disciplines and its deep connection to landscape and radical thought. Join the celebration of poetry, community and place.
Check out the full programme: https://www.dobunnipoetryfestival.co.uk
Black Eyes will be at the inaugural Dobunni Poetry Festival
Saturday 17th October 2026 3.30~4.30pm at the Chapels of Rest in the South Chapel, Stroud Cemetery, Bisley Rd, Stroud GL5 1HJ. (Tickets are now on sale on the festival website).
What3words: ///reflector.roofer.slippers
https://www.dobunnipoetryfestival.co.uk/events/p/rise-of-the-badger-17th-oct-1700-1800
Black Eyes Publishing UK hosts this event to celebrate RISE OF THE BADGER AND THE GREAT SHRUBBERY, an eerily prescient anthology exploring post-apocalyptic, post-human futures. Hosted by Josephine Lay. Introduction by Peter Lay, followed by a reading by Emma Smith (née Davidson), a talk on ‘the science of extinction’ from Alex Perry, and a limited-space open mic.
Email Peter at blackeyespublishinguk@yahoo.com to request an open mic slot.
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Check out our best-selling anthology…
RISE OF THE BADGER AND THE GREAT SHRUBBERY
An art and poetry anthology published by Black Eyes Publishing UK (2025). The human race has failed to protect itself and has finally become extinct. What happens next on this small blue planet that floats in a minor solar system within the vastness of space? What Phoenix will arise from the ashes of the human race?
RISE OF THE BADGER AND THE GREAT SHRUBBERY is available via Amazon or by order from your usual bookseller, worldwide, or via the Black Eyes Website.
Six of the Best
The "Six of the Best" event in Stroud is a showcase of six shortlisted ten-minute plays written by local Gloucestershire playwrights, performed as rehearsed readings at the Cotswold Playhouse, and features two Black Eyes published authors.
Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (doors open 1:30 PM)
Venue: Cotswold Playhouse, Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1LW
Cost / Tickets: £5.00 per ticket
Part of: The Play On Stroud Theatre Festival (running October 9–11, 2026)
A Lesson in Revenge by Simon Moss
Jesus in the Fridge by Carol Sheppard
The Waiting Game by Archie Woolls
The Gasman Cometh by Stephen Connolly
Die Young, Stay Pretty by Kate Arnold
Mekong Deliveries by Neil Walden
The readings are performed by the Cotswold Players, and a panel of judges will select a winning play at the end of the session.
Tickets available at:
https://www.ticketsource.com/cotswoldplayhouse/six-of-the-best/e-xmxjek
The Poetry Café at Patch Gloucester, 2.00~3.30pm
Hosted by Josephine Lay
Patch Gloucester, The Forum, 5-7 Cathedral Walk, Gloucester GL1 1DF
Upcoming features:
Zoe Brooks ~ Tuesday 27th October 2026
Nigel Kent ~ Tuesday 24th November 2026
New Publications
OBSESSED by CROWS
Compiled by Peter Lay for Black Eyes Publishing UK
Print Copy - ISBN: 978-1-913195-39-7
Publishing date 20th October 2026
(pre-order available via Amazon, or your usual bookseller)
(Paperback & digital versions available direct via the Black Eyes website from 20th October)
The poems within this anthology speak of all kinds of relationships: good, bad, fulfilling or sad. They express how we react to one another: mother, brother, lover, friend or foe - whether you hug trees or watch crows watching you; there are poems here for everyone.
Dive in and see what catches your imagination.
Crafty Crows 2027
(Poetry Zoom Open-Mic)
The GPS is currently in the process of reorganisation…
So, from 2027, Crafty Crows will now be run by Black Eyes Publishing UK. Hosted by Peter Lay & Josephine Lay.
It will still be free and run on a voluntary basis on the first Wednesday of the month, 7.00~9.00pm. Usually with a paid feature.
Details will continue to be posted in the usual places. However, there will be a different email to get open-mic slots. We are currently reviewing the ticketing procedure. All will be revealed in the first posting.
Crafty Crows 2027
Upcoming:
Wednesday 6th January – 12th Night Open-Mic party
Wednesday 3rd February – Lucy English
Snowball Earth Raven-svere
Black Eyes now has the finished manuscript for the second book in Morgan Rye’s futuristic dystopian Snowball Earth trilogy, ‘Snowball Earth Raven-svere’.
Proofreading is under way…
Look out for this one in 2027!
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If you haven’t read the first book in this trilogy, Snowball Earth Quinn, it’s available from the usual sources.
(Available from Amazon or your usual bookseller)
(Paperback available direct via the Black Eyes website)
Under the ‘Black Eyes’ imprint, RED BALCONY PRESS, we are currently working on:
THE DANDELION
By Trevor Valentine (singer-songwriter & poet)
A definitive collection of poems & songs.
Billie Louise: My Story
By Billie Louise Lay
A memoir
Submission Opportunity
FALL OF THE BADGER AND THE RISE OF THE ANT
The sequel to the best-selling anthology,
RISE OF THE BADGER AND THE GREAT SHRUBBERY
Submission window
1st April 2026 - 31st December 2026
Expected Publication April 2027
https://www.blackeyespublishinguk.co.uk/submissions
The surface of this planet moves slowly…
Even though humanities destruction has ceased with their demise, the damage caused by them, the high temperatures, melting icecaps, rising sea levels, the wars, plastic, the toxic waste etc., were totally disastrous. The planet will eventually find an equilibrium, how long this will take cannot be surmised.
Many creatures will follow humanity into extinction, certainly most of the big mammals, in fact much of bio diversity we knew will be lost... Changes will come!
Is this to be the time of the insects?
For example ant communities around the world are changing, building super colonies with multiple queens, spreading those colonies in nest after nest, all connected. When ants meet other ants from a different nest, but still part of the same super colony, they do the antennae thing and don't fight, they are as one.
These super colonies are vast networks of interconnected nests, sometimes more than a thousand mounds, that share a common scent. Unlike other ant species that are aggressive toward neighbours, the ants in the super colony cooperate, share food, and treat each other as if from the same nest. Many nests within a super colony contain multiple queens, a departure from the single-queen model in typical ant nests.
Workers can use their bodies to absorb sunlight, and they transfer heat to the brood chambers to keep them warm during colder periods. The ants in Switzerland cover their mounds with resin from spruce trees, where available, which contains antibiotics that help fight off fungi and other diseases. They also "farm" aphids to collect the sugary "honeydew" they produce.
They hunt in packs to capture prey that may be many times their size.
Ants are omnivores!!!
Watch David Attenboroughs, 'Ant Mountain' on YouTube for an insight into these changes in the Ant World.
What other insects, creatures might fill the void?
What sort of bio diversity will exist in that future?
We want,
POETRY (max 100 lines via a word.doc),
DRAWINGS/ ARTWORK (as a .jpg) ~ Don’t need to be fine art, we want to see the idea…
FLASH FICTION/ PREDICTIONS/ HYPOTHESIS (max 1000 words via a word.doc),
Submit to: Peter Lay - blackeyespublishinguk@yahoo.com
All profits from sales of Black Eyes anthologies will go towards funding a multi-arts festival.
Black Eyes Online Shop
We have a comprehensive book shop where you can purchase the work of our authors. Click the button below to visit.
Thanks for reading, and best wishes,
Peter
